Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Introducing the Capuchins

Another storm last night meant that this morning was quite
overcast and cool, perfect since I was working on a construction project with
Kirsty. It’s started to warm up but is still quite comfortable.

I promised to mention some of the capuchins so here we go. Jethro
(one of my personal favorites) lives with his mother, Anushka. He is adorable
and loves to hold my hand. His mom is quite protective and will quickly
intervene if she senses any problems, but he will happily reach through the
wire to hold hands whenever I pass. He also grabs for my camera and, when I
refuse to give it to him, runs away before engaging in another display of “look
I can hang by my tail and I’m coming back so you can love me.”

Willow

Next to mother and son are Chino
and Willow. Willow had to have her
arm amputated after an infection while she lived in a zoo (there is some
speculation as to whether her arm could have been saved with proper treatment).
Anyway, once she lost her arm, the zoo no longer wanted her on display to the
public and she came to the sanctuary. So there’s a lesson for you all: some zoos only want the nice looking animals on display. Willow
keeps to herself and has very little to do with anyone, although if she senses
that Chino is
in trouble, she can throw a pretty mean punch with her one arm.

And then we have Chino.

Chino

Chino is the
drama queen of the sanctuary. He was rescued from the pet trade as a baby and
so was hand reared by one of the volunteers, Jackie. As a result, he is
incredibly attached to her and will shriek loudly if he sees or hears her. She
was away for a three week vacation shortly before I arrived, and I’m told when
she returned, Chino
was beside himself with excitement. Once Jackie is around, he wants nothing to
do with any other people. But when she’s not around, he will put on quite a
show, swinging, dancing, and doing an odd little habit where he clutches his
stomach with one arm while bending over, as if he is sick, all the while
checking to make sure you are watching.